-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Given that Moscow has been home to the likes of Tchaikovsky , Dostoyevsky , Rachmaninoff and Pushkin , it 's no surprise that the city offers a wealth of cultural events . But Muscovites are also prepared to brave their bitter winters to enjoy traditional outdoor celebrations .

Pancakes , known as blini , are the stars of the Maslenitsa Festival .

Maslenitsa Festival/Blini Week -LRB- February/March -RRB- This traditional festival , with its roots in pagan Spring celebrations , all but disappeared between 1917 and 2002 , but it 's now one of the city 's best-loved celebrations . It precedes Lent and Russian pancakes , known as blini , feature prominently in the week-long festivities .

Round , golden blini are said to symbolize the Spring sun and are eaten in huge quantities all week , topped with anything from jam to caviar .

The festival usually includes an attempt to break a blini-related world record ; in 2004 the festival set the record for the tallest pile of pancakes ever made and at the 2008 festival bakers created a map of the world out of , you guessed it , blini .

Other festival shenanigans include traditional Slavic games , troika -LRB- sled -RRB- rides , folk dancing , and a final-day masquerade and parade made up of musicians , jesters , stiltwalkers , acrobats , and carnival entertainers . The traditional `` Maslenitsa brawl , '' an apparently good-natured group fist-fight , is probably best avoided .

See Natalia Vodianova 's Moscow . ''

Golden Mask Festival -LRB- March/April -RRB- Each year Russia 's finest opera , dance , theater and musical productions compete to win a coveted Golden Mask award at Moscow 's Golden Mask Festival .

Held over three weeks at venues around the city , the festival is a fantastic opportunity to experience the best in contemporary culture from all over Russia , conveniently gathered together in one city .

What do you think are Moscow 's seasonal highlights ? Let us know below .

Victory Day -LRB- 9 May -RRB- Victory Day is a national holiday in Russia to commemorate Germany 's surrender to the Soviet Union in World War II -- still known in Russia as the `` Great Patriotic War . ''

In Moscow , the day is marked by an impressive military parade in Red Square and remembrance events in Victory Park to honor Russia 's fallen soldiers . There are firework displays in the evening .

Part somber remembrance , part celebration , Victory Day is a dramatic reminder of what many Russians still regard as the Soviet Union 's proudest hour , and of the millions of Russians killed in the war .

December Nights -LRB- December -RRB- Just as Moscow 's December chill is turning nights on the town into an endurance contest , the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts comes to the rescue with a series of outstanding evenings of classical music .

Conceived by renowned Russian pianist Svyatoslav Richter and held annually since 1981 , December Night 's program of Russian and international musical talent is one of the year 's cultural highlights . As well as world-class classical concerts , the festival also features exhibitions of artworks related to that year 's musical theme .

Winter Festival -LRB- late December/early January -RRB- Given the ferocity of Moscow 's winter , if you 're planning to join in with the Winter Festival fun in Izmailovo Park you 'd do well to warm up with a shot or two of vodka before you venture outside .

In the park you 'll find traditional folk music , dancing , and troika rides , while elsewhere in the city you can see glittering ice sculptures being built in Red Square and hundreds of snowmen lining Arbat Street .

While some hardy Muscovites use the festival as an opportunity to join the `` Walrus Club , '' it is n't recommended -- membership involves swimming in ice holes carved in the freezing Moscow River .

@highlight

Moscow hosts a wealth of cultural events as well as traditional outdoor festivities

@highlight

Round , golden blini -LRB- pancakes -RRB- are the real stars of the Maslenitsa Festival

@highlight

The Golden Mask Festival has the best in Russian contemporary culture

@highlight

December 's Winter Festival features sleigh rides , snowmen and ice sculptures